Meat Plow wrote:

On Wed, 23 May 2007 09:24:46 -0400, Speedy Jim wrote:


Charlie S. wrote:

Had the plumber put in a new faucet over the weekend. Gives a slight
kick or thumping noise when I turn on the water. Doesn't happen if I
turn on the water again right after I turn it off. Not sure what the
problem might be. Some ideas I came up with a faucet's design, the
installation, or the hose that leads from the pipes is too narrow.
Could water be backing down after we turn off the water creating a
vacuum break or some sort. Not sure what it could be. Anyone know what
might be the cause and how it might be repaired? I know I could ask the
plumber. Just would like to have some background on what the problem
might be before calling him.

Other info, we have half inch pipes throughout the house. The hose
looks like it's 3/8" (or less?). Seems narrow that's for sure. The
faucet is an American Standard. Here is a link to what it looks like.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/American-Standard...ayphotohosting


The "thump" is a common noise associated with the
"diverter" valve used with the spray wand.
The diverter is located in the base of the faucet.
When water pressure is first applied, the valve
quickly reacts to close off flow to the wand and "divert"
it to the faucet spout.

Jim


I installed an identical unit in my girlfriends home a few months back
and
don't recall a noticeable thump let alone something objectionable.

You might have been lucky, or the service pressure
at the GF's house is lower than at OP's.
Jim

The pipe shakes when I turn on the water. The hot pipe shakes more than the
cold. Held the hose itself. Didn't have any effect on the noise. .

Held the pipe and it seemed to dampen things a bit. The pipes are not
supported by anything. They are suspended a half inch off the floor and
don't hit against anything that I can see, unless it's hidden from further
away. I would have to have someone hold the other end of the pipe at the
same time to see if that dampened the noise more.

Doubt it's the unsecured pipes are causing the problem. Have a feeling the
spray hose wand diverter (mentioned previously) may be the culprit. Not
sure though.

You are also correct the water pressure in the house is low. We have half
inch piping throughout. Had thought of changing to 3/4" for part of the
house for shower purposes. But, really don't need it.

So, that narrows it down to
a. poorly secured pipes..... unlikely?
b. the diverter mechanism
c. low water pressure.
d. combination of b and c.

My next step will be to get someone else to hold the other end of the pipe
and see if that dampens the noise. Have a feeling it won't do much.

Might that water hammer arrester be something I should be thinking about.
Or, should I call the faucet company and ask about how to rectify the
diverter problem?